After several years of deficit, Photowatt, one of the last French manufacturers of solar panels, will close its doors. The 162 employees of the Bourgoin-Jallieu factory in Isère may lose their jobs.
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The cleaver fell in the morning of this Friday, January 24. The Photowatt company will close its doors permanently. Its factory located in Bourgoin-Jallieu (Isère) will stop its activity in the coming months. A discussion cycle must open to prepare for the future of 162 employees.
Created by the electronics giant Philips in 1979, the PhotoWatt company had started its activity as a research organization working for the development of photovoltaic cells for satellites.
It was in 1990 that PhotoWatt arrived in Bourgoin-Jallieu to enlarge his research and production units. Classified at the time in the world top 3 in terms of technologies mono et multicristallin, The company was equipped in 2001 with an assembly line of photovoltaic panels.
But over the years, Photowatt has suffered and has been placed in receivership. It had been taken up by EDF renewable. Despite this, Workshops had gradually closed to focus on silicon pads, one of the components of solar panel cells.
We lose between 20 and 30 million euros per year. It's no longer tenable!
-The management of renewable EDF
For several months, EDF renewable has been looking to separate from its subsidiary in particular due to the Chinese competition which “offers much cheaper panels and in gigantic quantities“Reports a management spokesperson.
Discussions had been started last September with Carbon, a start-up which is carrying out a Giga-Usine project in Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône). A project “unmistible“who was brewing only”wind“, According to the unions who had closed the door to this business plan.
Faced with this situation, EDF renewable has chosen to lower the curtain permanently. A job safeguarding plan will be triggered in the coming months to discuss the 162 jobs threatened by this closure.
It's with “sadness“, even if they”was aware that such an outcome was plausible“, that the employees welcomed this decision, reacted the inter -union of Photowatt in a statement sent to AFP.
“We are expecting today from EDF that it acts as the large group it is, and that it deals with employees in a worthy and respectful manner“She added, saying the priority was now”to advance on negotiations in order to find the best solution for each of the employees of Photowatt“.
As part of the information-consultation process for trade union organizations, a cycle of discussion must open in the coming weeks to prepare for the future of employees. The Social and Economic Committee (CSE) was summoned to a first meeting on February 4. “”We want to find a personalized solution to each“, Ensures a spokesperson for the management of EDF renewable.
This procedure should last about three months. And the group has already indicated a buyer for the site – and not the activity itself – of Bourgoin -Jallieu.
